12.31.2007

Even if you are feeling pretty sure of yourself today, you may not be able to convince others of your confidence -- and this can be frustrating. There are big differences between your emotions and your actions, yet you might not want to share your reasons for keeping some things private now. Don't let anyone tell you this is about denial; it's not. Be wise and wait for the right time to disclose more.

12.24.2007

BOSTON — The World Series ball is gone, and Jonathan Papelbon has an excuse: My dog ate it. Farfetched or not, that's what the Red Sox closer insists happened to the souvenir from the final out of Boston's sweep this year.

Really, Papelbon blamed it on his bulldog, Boss.

"He plays with baseballs like they are his toys," Papelbon told the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American. "He jumped up one day on the counter and snatched it. He likes rawhide. He tore that thing to pieces. Nobody knows that. I'll keep what's left of it."

While the Red Sox have swept two of the past four World Series, they've had less luck when it comes to preserving the ball that was caught for the final out. It took a prolonged negotiation before first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz agreed to donate the 2004 ball to the Hall of Fame.

Papelbon, who has a home in Hattiesburg, struck out Colorado pinch-hitter Seth Smith to finish off Game 4 on Oct. 28. Papelbon threw his glove high in the air while catcher Jason Varitek tucked the ball in his back pocket.

After the game, Varitek said he planned to give the prize to the team. A few days later, he said he'd given it to Papelbon.

Instead, the relief pitcher said, Boss got hold of that doggone ball.

Papelbon told a similar tale to the New England Sports Network for a story that aired Nov. 30 — but with a slightly different ending. He told NESN he threw what was left of the ball in the trash.

"It's in the garbage in Florida somewhere," he said.

The fate of the last ball became an issue in 2004 when the Red Sox swept St. Louis in the World Series to end an 86-year championship drought.

Mientkiewicz, who caught a toss from pitcher Keith Foulke for the final out, kept the ball. The team wanted it back. Mientkiewicz eventually agreed to lend the ball to the Red Sox for a year and then donated it to the Hall of Fame.

The Red Sox didn't sound particularly concerned with what happened to this latest souvenir.

"The 2004 ball is obviously very special to us because it was the club's first World Series win in 86 years," team spokesman John Blake said. "This ball was in the hands of one of the players and we take his word at what happened to it, but it's a non-issue as far as the club's concerned."

The Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., has a bunch of Red Sox memorabilia from the 2007 World Series, including Papelbon's glove.

"We did not ask for the ball," spokesman Jeff Idelson said. "We were more focused on other items."

Papelbon wasn't in Boston and wasn't immediately available for comment, Blake said. His agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Yeah, those who ‘Twinkle’ are the ones who stand outEveryone wants to look at those stars that shine high and bright in the heavensRight now our nails and make-up are looking better than ever'Cos today’s a special day, we’re at our best conditionIt’s a casual sparkle of glitz and glamour*1You can make everyday interesting, it’s not impossibleSo for now, just hang up that phoneWe’re getting ready to bloom, gonna vacuum-pack this memory (yeah)

Yeah, I’m a rapper on the ‘Goppa’*2 micThe needle on my Concorde*3 is made from diamondSparkling, shining, breaking out in sweatAs we spin round and round, we’re drawing out our spiralDashing forward in a giddy rush,Riding these cute, stylish beats,Mash it up, put your hands in the airHaving a flashback, it’s like watching it in a planetariumThat story mapped out in the night sky is the one I’m telling you tonightAnd tonight that night sky is really going to shineTake me to that dancehall coming down from the sky, I don’t know where it is‘Cos I’m a still a teen, teen…A teen still growing up, just running around, stuck somewhere in-betweenThen one day that's gone, disappearing in one restless moment,This is the theme of your youth, the best years of your lifeThink about that theme and try to remember when

*REPEAT

BREAKWow, the night sky is filled with the glow of infinite starsThe endless light of millions of stars is shining down from so far awayI feel the falling light is connected with this town, coming downYeah, Twinkle Star

*REPEAT

CHORUSTwinkle Star, you don’t stopAn illuminated moment, passing straight throughTwinkle Star, you don’t stopI’m full of expectations for a shining futureTwinkle Star, you don’t stopAn illuminated moment, passing straight throughTwinkle Star, you don’t stopI want to get out and see the whole wide world

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Police used chemical spray and stun guns Thursday as dozens of protesters seeking to halt the demolition of 4,500 public housing units tried to force their way through an iron gate at City Hall.

One woman was sprayed with chemicals and dragged from the gates. She was taken away on a stretcher by emergency officials. Before that, the woman was seen pouring water from a bottle into her eyes and weeping.

Another woman said she was stunned by officers, and still had what appeared to be a Taser wire hanging from her shirt.

"I was just standing, trying to get into my City Council meeting," said the woman, Kim Ellis.

Arrests were made as officers tried to establish order.

Inside, a scuffle also occurred in the City Council chambers as the meeting opened. Several protesters were forced out, including a woman who was carried, and a recess was called. The room was calm once the meeting resumed.

Protesters had planned to disrupt the City Council meeting, where members were expected to approve demolishing dozens of buildings—a move that would open racial and class divisions.

The council chambers seat less than 300. Once capacity was reached, people who were not permitted into chambers marched and chanted. Eventually violence broke out.

The City Council vote is a critical moment in a protracted fight between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and residents, activists and preservationists.

HUD wants to demolish the buildings, most of them damaged by Hurricane Katrina, so developers can take advantage of tax credits and build new mixed-income neighborhoods.

The council's approval of the demolition is required under the city's charter.

HUD says the redevelopment, in the works before Katrina hit, will mark an end to the city's failed public housing experiment that lumped the poor into crime-ridden complexes and marooned them outside the life of the rest of the city.

But critics say the plan will shrink the stock of cheap housing at a time when housing is scarce and drive poor blacks out of the city. They also say the buildings are, contrary to popular opinion, mostly handsome brick structures that will outlast anything HUD builds in their place.

A news release from the Coalition to Stop the Demolition, one of several groups organizing protesters, characterized the pending action as a "rubber stamp" at a "sham meeting."

"It is beyond callous, and can only be seen as malicious discrimination. It is an unabashed attempt to eliminate the black population of New Orleans," said Kali Akuno, an organizer with the group.

A recent shake-up on the seven-member City Council turned it into a majority white chamber for the first time since the 1980s, a shift that will certainly make the vote even more racially charged.

Three of the council's white members were quick to say they supported the tear-down plan, while the council's three black members were hesitant about expressing their intentions.

One black member, Cynthia Hedge Morrell, issued a statement late Wednesday in favor of demolitions. The fourth white member, Council President Arnie Fielkow, has been careful to tread the middle ground, but a spokeswoman said Thursday he supports demolition.

"It's not racist and it's truly not a done deal behind the scenes," said Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson, a newly elected councilmember-at- large, about the council's pending vote.

12.18.2007

I'm re-reading the Golden Compass right now. I originally started reading it when I was in high school, a friend's mother lent it to me, but wouldn't allow me to keep it long enough to finish it (she was temperamental). So, with the movie out and all, I was inspired to pick up where I left off ten years ago.

The weight of the conclusion of that paragraph just hit me like an anvil... ten years!

World cinema continues to cast its strange, ethereal light on the nature of human dreaming with Satoshi Kon’s Paprika. Based on a story by accomplished author Yasutaka Tsutsui, Paprika is a complex 90 minutes of reality-twisting visual phenomena. The story follows Dr. Atsuko Chiba – a conservative clinical psychologist who helps clients by entering their dreamscapes as a character named Paprika, a younger, more cheerful version of the adult Dr. Chiba. Aided by a rare, tiny iPod-like device called a DC-MINI, she opens up their repressed memories. When one of the precious devices goes missing, reality turns bizarre as the dream world begins to make incursions into the waking world.

I found a thread on G.A.M. of Judy and Mary albums and singles. I was able to complete my collection with the exception of Hello Orange Sunshine!. This includes finally getting a copy of Miracle Driving which I've only had the pleasure of hearing live versions of some songs. I also have a studio version of my favorite J.A.M. song, "Lover Soul" (my original CDs were so scratched I couldn't import this song). To commemorate this glorious day, I have posted the video and English translation of the lyrics along with a translated transcript of the video dialog from my dear friend Wakana.

the first man :what's wrong? YUKI : nothing's wrong. Please don't get bother. the man: what are you doing here. YUKI: I'm singing a song. the man: ah, this is " lover soul."

the second young pretty man ; is there a convinience store around here? YUKI : I don't know. The man: hey, I heard you are " lover soul"? I've never seen such a beautiful "lover soul" before.

the strange kid : its fish. do you want to eat it ? YUKI: I'm not hungry. The kid: though you are " lover soul" !? (I can't really translate this. its like he is blaiming for it) YUKI: Im sorry.

polar bear: you were in a painful love, weren't you? YUKI: how do you know? Polar bear : because I'm in love with you.

The mysterious night gradually comes, I go into a dreamThe mysterious night gradually comes, With you into a dreamI can hear a singing voice in the frozen winter sky

If we stay like this we will disappear completelyI am melting into your body, becoming oneIt's just your warmthAgainst my skin in the dawn

Today, dirtied sheepPouring out their life's waterWandering around in the snow

The mysterious night gradually comes, I go into a dream

If we stay like this we will disappear completelyI am melting into your body, becoming oneIf we stay like this we will disappear completelyI am melting into your body, becoming oneIt's just your warmthAgainst my skin in the dawn

Called a "Money Bomb," the goal was to raise as much money as possible on the Internet in one day. The campaign's previous fundraiser brought in $4.2 million.

At midnight EST, donations were over $6 million, according to the campaign Web site. Those donations are processed credit card receipts, said Paul campaign spokesman Jesse Benton. Benton said the median donation is about $50 in the fundraiser, which was the idea of Paul supporters who are not officially connected to the campaign.

Trevor Lyman, a Paul supporter who is traveling the country following the Ron Paul blimp, said the date of the fundraiser coincides with the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.

The Ron Paul blimp is an aerial billboard emblazoned on one side with "Who is Ron Paul? Google Ron Paul." The other side reads "Ron Paul Revolution." The blimp, another grass-roots effort, was in Chester, S.C., on Sunday, and organizers hope to get it to New Hampshire before the Jan. 8 primary there.

12.16.2007

I saw I Am Legend this weekend. It was the first movie I've seen in the theater in nearly a year. I've been eagerly awaiting this movie since I'm a rabid fan of The Last Man on Earth and the trailer had me convinced that this version would be incredible. It was amazing for the first 3/4 of the film. After that, it began emitting a climatic stench that was akin to the last twenty minutes of Spielberg's remake of War of the Worlds. It had so much grisly and bleak potential, but ended with a half-ass, candied climax that would please the ignorant masses, but leave those true seekers of horror's jaws slacked in disgust. We were robbed.

If I could splice the ending of The Last Man on Earth into I Am Legend's it would be one of the best horror movies to come out recently with a profound commentary on fear and humanity that would leave the viewer's soul stained.

Francis Lawrence, how could you BLOW IT!?! After glancing at your next project, I guess I understand. Someone more worthy should have been given this project.

For one, this new version of I am Legend completely perverts the meaning of the title, losing the clever, dark irony and turning it instead into something heroic rather than something tragic. In the book, the infected hordes are not animalistic beings with no trace of humanity but rather vampiric humans. The literary Neville tries to offer a scientific explanation for vampirism as opposed to the usual supernatural one. So Neville discovers a germ that causes people to become averse to sunlight, thirsty for blood and resistant to bullets but vulnerable to wooden stakes. Neville goes out on daily hunts to kill these creatures but what he doesn’t realize is that there are some that have managed to control their disease and who have created a new society, a society that sees Neville as a monster that comes in the night to kill them (not unlike the mythic vampires of legend). In the end of the book (which is very different from the movie so don’t consider this a spoiler for the movie), the new vampire society captures Neville and sentences him to death. Neville realizes that in this new society he has become like the vampires of old–a legendary, horrific figure that kills indiscriminately. But this new film adaptation avoids the bleak irony of Matheson’s book to turn Neville into a heroic figure to be celebrated in “legends.” Plus I personally miss the vampire overtones and was disappointed to find the vampire angle essentially gone.

The single is very nice, but I prefer the 'night swimming' remix with a more spacey and intimate beat. Included with the single and remix is a live track of "ビスケット (Biscuit)" from here October 6 concert at Osaka-jo Hall.

12.11.2007

I just finished watching Benny's Video which is movie two of Michael Haneke's trilogy of disassociation in media violence. I haven't seen The Seventh Continent yet (the first in the trilogy and his debut film), but I did reluctantly devour Funny Games a few months ago and afterward felt as if part of me was lost and will never be regained. Benny's Video was disturbing, but not as effective and frightening as Funny Games which equates, in my opinion, with Last House on the Left as far as leaving the viewer with a lasting psychological impression of despair and anxiety. Though I never enjoy watching films like this, I am sensationally drawn to their affect on the viewer- the turning of one's stomach under the pressure of the image is incredible to me. I heavily recommend Haneke's films to those who seek sensational truth in cinema.

"My films are intended as polemical statements against the American 'barrel down' cinema and its dis-empowerment of the spectator. They are an appeal for a cinema of insistent questions instead of false (because too quick) answers, for clarifying distance in place of violating closeness, for provocation and dialogue instead of consumption and consensus."

-- From "Film as catharsis".[2]

Rejecting what is considered to be standard conventions of timing, the build up of suspense and logical plotting, Haneke is not worried about inducing boredom, irritation and frustration. His films are considered to be very immediate without being simplistic. Arguably concerned with a society that no longer knows how to love—or for that matter how to hate—his films are in many ways an attempt to resharpen the audience's feelings and responses to the world.

Recurring themes include:

* the introduction of a malevolent force into comfortable bourgeois existence, as seen in Funny Games and Caché; * a critique directed towards mass media, especially television, as seen in Funny Games, where some of the characters are aware that they feature in a movie, and Benny's Video. * the inability or unwillingness to communicate directly from one person to another, or an unwillingness to involve oneself in the actions and decisions of others, even those in the same living conditions, as seen in Benny's Video, 71 Fragmente einer Chronologie des Zufalls and Code inconnu: Récit incomplet de divers voyages. * characters named George and Anna (or some alternate version of those names)

12.05.2007

kristilynis an artist of many mediums and many methods residing in boston with a small flock of felines. she enjoys a fresh brush pen, naps, para-cinema, roasted teas, 8bit video games and alliteration.